Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that intelligence gathered by the country’s security agencies further confirmed that the antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was inspired by the Islamic State terror group.
“We’ve been informed that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
He announced a gun buyback plan and a “day of reflection” to be marked on Sunday as a show of solidarity with the Jewish community.
The Islamic State said the Dec. 14 Chanukah attack, which killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, was a “source of pride,” but stopped short of claiming responsibility.
Jewish community leaders said the Australian government’s silence amid rising hate speech, followed by a series of antisemitic attacks over the past two years, emboldened the terrorists to act.
About 110,000 Jews live in Australia, primarily in Melbourne and Sydney.
